Linda
Searcy

After retirement from 20 years in information technology field, 6 years ago I found a new passion in jewelry making. After a year in wire work, I took metalsmith classes at several local craft centers and have been forging, soldering and fabricating mostly one-of-a-kind metal jewelry ever since. As a natural progression, I took my first lapidary class cutting cabochons at the NC State University Crafts Center. Then I continued with my first faceting class at William Holland in May 2013. My first faceted gemstone in that class was a rutilated quartz - it was good enough to be selected for publication in the Lapidary Journal's annual The Gemmys 2015. I taught beginning jewelry metalsmith classes at Durham Arts Council (Durham, NC) from September 2013 through March 2016 and the NCSU Crafts Center (Raleigh, NC) from July 2014 and will continue through the spring semester 2017.

Class List

Viewing Page 1 of 1

Faceting I - Linda Searcy
Precision faceting takes time and patience to transform a crystal or rough rock into a work of art. In this week-long workshop, you will: 1) Get acquainted with the faceting machine. 2) Learn about abrasive disks/laps to do the cutting/grinding and polishing 3) Learn how to turn a piece of natural or man-made (synthetic) crystal into a beautiful gemstone learn how to prepare/dop a stone learn how to read and understand a faceting diagram learn Meet Point (precision) faceting. By the end of the week, you should complete at least one or 2 gemstones. Due to the nature of the precision work, you will need magnification, either an Optivisor with #5 or #10 lens or a 10X magnification loupe. You should also bring a notebook, an apron or wear clothes that you do not mind getting dirty, and hand towel. Fee will include facet rough (natural and/or synthetic) to complete at least 1 or 2 gemstones, student handout that includes basic faceting design diagrams, and a polishing lap (cerium oxide Ultralap).